Merchandise

I sat still at the dinner table. Mom kept on fixing my hair and dress repeatedly, I wanted to bolt out of that room with the speed of light but I felt trapped like I couldn't move a muscle. Everything was happening too fast, the more I thought about the more it didn't make sense to me.

How did I get here? 

I was given no choice. 

Was this how I would throw my life away?

They made it clear to me that if I didn't get married as it was said, Nyla wouldn't get the money she needed for her major surgery. The money they promised to pay now all of a sudden, it was an exchange, they knew I wouldn't have a choice but to agree to it and they were right. I didn't have a choice.

I didn't have a say in anything that was going on, I was about to be shipped off to a man I knew nothing about. If we were left at the orphanage maybe just maybe my life would have been slightly better than this, maybe I would be happy. I couldn't answer that but one thing was sure whatever would have been the outcome of being left in the orphanage would have been better than this hell I was living in.

“Aren’t you going to ask who you would be getting married to?” Kayla asked wearing a smug smile, she always loved to poke at me for the fun of it

“What difference don't it make?” I asked looking straight ahead

“Do not be gloomy it isn't some pauper, it is someone that would transform your ratchet life” she said laughing heartily, she was having fun with it

“You would be getting married into the Valois family,” Mom said and my eyes widened in shock that they almost popped out of the socket 

“What?!” I immediately swiveled my gaze to meet hers

“Wonderful isn't it?” Kayla asked beaming with joy

“It is a joke right?” I asked and no one said anything 

It didn't make sense to me, if a family like the Valois wanted a wife for their family they wouldn't go for an adopted child also it didn't make sense because why would Mom and Dad choose me when their precious daughter Kayla was there? It made it even more fishy 

“They wanted you,” mom said 

“Why would the Valois want me?!” I asked raising my voice

“Do not raise your voice young lady” Dad warned but for once I didn't regard him 

“Then give me answers!” I yelled 

I needed to know why the richest and most powerful family would want to have anything to do with me.

“This isn't time for your drama you should be grateful to us for getting you married into that family,” Mom said rolling her eyes at me

“Is it worth it?” I asked after a minute of silence 

“What?” Dad asked

“What you are getting in return for selling me, is it worth it?” I asked and they all looked at me like they were too stunned to speak

“This is the last thing you should expect from me, consider it payment for everything you have ever done for me and my sister,” I said slowly and clearly and I meant every word of it 

“Don’t you fucking-” Dad started to say but before he could finish whatever bullshit he wanted to spew at me there was a soft knock at the door that made everyone freeze and my heart thudding in my chest.

A man who looked like he was in his mid to late thirties walked in with his hand linked with a grouchy-looking woman with short bobbed black hair who I assumed to be his mother walked in 

Could that be him? I asked myself trying to calm my nerves, he was older than I expected but didn't look bad I had to admit that he was good-looking. His green eyes pierced right through my soul as he stared right at me making me forget how to breath

“Don’t get excited just yet he isn't the one” Kayla whispered in my ear with a smirk on her lips

Then who the hell was it?

Everyone except me stood up to welcome the guests while I just sat and stared straight ahead and avoided eye contact with anyone and everyone. I could feel Mom’s glare on me but I completely ignored it.

“Welcome to our home please have your seat,” Dad said and I heard them sit but I didn’t look at them

“Let’s get right to it we have somewhere to be” I heard the man say

“Okay, I have the contract with me,” Dad said and my head whipped up immediately at the sound of what I heard

What contract?

“Good, let me have it,” the man said and Dad handed him a file. I just kept looking in between them trying to grasp what was going on but I got nothing. After scribbling on it he handed it over to Dad and he did the same thing as the man did then he stood up and so did his mother like they were about to leave.

“Is she the one?” The man pointed to Kayla 

“Hell no” Kayla retorted almost too quickly with a disgusted look on her face 

What weren’t they telling me? 

“No not at all, she is the one. Isn’t she beautiful?” Mom said moving my hair away from my face

“She would do” he responded after eyeing me from up to down, the dark look in his eyes and the smirk he wore made chills run down my spine

“The contract would be handed to you as stated” the man added, gave a curt nod, and left leaving me baffled and more stunned than ever

So I was just bait to catch a fish in everything. I couldn’t say if I was surprised by that or if I was in denial but one thing was that I just couldn’t believe that they would sell me off like I was some merchandise.